75 Games: After the Mockingjay
by Gamemaker97
Summary: "You in Thirteen... Dead by morning!" The rebellion fails, District 13 bombed into submission by the Capitol. The Hunger Games continue. The suffering will continue for the eleven surviving districts as President Snow exacts his revenge upon them. More Games. More Victors. More Oneshots. The AU follow-up community project to '75 Games, 75 Victors, 75 Oneshots'.
1. Every Inambition

**A/N: Hello, and welcome to '75 Games: After the Mockingjay'! This story can be considered a sequel to my first story of this variety, '75 Games, 75 Victors, 75 Oneshots'. I'd recommend reading that first, and this story is basically a continuation of the themes of my first story of this kind. Speaking of which, the first story is not complete (I'm currently 84% through), and I'm in the process of writing chapters for the Third Quarter Quell, the final Hunger Games of the series.**

** All features of the original story will be kept. I'll be quoting lyrics at the beginning of chapters (I use songs on my iPod for inspiration for each chapter), and I'll be writing a summary of the Games' events at the end.**

**The rebellion is over, District Thirteen crushed by the Capitol bombings in 'Mockingjay' (I trust you all remember that from the original trilogy), and the districts never recovered.**

**District 12 is gone.**

**But the Hunger Games continue.**

**And so, I present to you the 76th Annual Hunger Games.**

**For those of you unfamiliar with my previous works, this story will be a collection of oneshots taken from the perspective of a Hunger Games victor during their time in the arena. There will be one chapter for each Hunger Games, starting with the first after the 'Mockingjay Rebellion', as it shall be known from hereon in.**

**I hope you enjoy the first of many, many chapters :)**

**P.S. All author's notes from this point will be written and left unedited from the time of publishing, so if you're catching up with this story rather than reading it as updates are published, then some of the things written may seem a little off-topic.**

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**"Half of the time, I pretend that I'm fine**

**And I keep it inside, keep it inside**

**But every inambition is crying**

**Crying outside, I'm crying outside."**

**- Colin MacDonald, 2003.**

* * *

**The 76th Annual Hunger Games**

**Lionel Compton (17), District 7 Male**

**The Trews - Every Inambition (2003)**

* * *

The glass doors slide shut, and the light of the launch room is taken from me as the capsule rises slowly upwards, leaving me in complete darkness as the grim reality of my situation finally begins to sink in.

It's almost unbelievable, considering where we were a year ago. Watching yet another Hunger Games, as those few who had dared make a stand in District 7 were punished for their crimes. There had been discontent building all year, ever since the pair from District 12 survived the 74th Games together. We'd heard rumours of defiance against the Capitol from other districts and that summer we had planned to make a stand.

But nothing had really worked out as planned. At least not until after the Quell. By September, Panem was in full-scale war. All twelve districts stood hand in hand with each other, all a part of the war due to their new commanders from District Thirteen. I say twelve, but District 12 is gone, the first to fall at the very beginning of the Mockingjay Rebellion, seventy-five years after the Dark Days.

Very few people back home in District 7 remember the first war, and almost nobody cold have played a part fighting in it. Any that could have would be almost a hundred years old by now, and that's a near-impossible age, and an old one even for the citizens of the Capitol. But everyone who felt as though they had been punished for the sins of their ancestors rose up in anger at the Capitol and all that they stand for.

The war was going well for the districts at first, with several falling into rebel control as autumn drew on, until the Capitol retaliatory strike, destroying the rebel headquarters, District Thirteen, in just a day of intensive, possibly nuclear bombing. Leaderless, the rebels' strength waned as November began and the Capitol wrestled back control in all districts but Eight and Four by the turn of the year.

Eventually the last rebel stronghold, District 4, surrendered to Capitol forces at the beginning of March, and President Coriolanus Snow announce the Mockingjay Rebellion to be over on the seventh of March, just over three months ago. During the same announcement, he gave news that all in the districts feared.

The Annual Hunger Games were to continue, with the reaping for the 76th Games to take place on the second Sunday in July, as is traditional.

And so here I am, a tribute in the Hunger Games.

There may now be just twenty-two tributes, but the principle is the same. Kill or be killed. Only one will make it out of whatever demonic environment the Gamemakers have created for our displeasure alive.

To a degree, I have less reasons to worry than most tributes will have. I have no family or home to return to; our district has been ravaged by the war, and we are only in the first stages of rebuilding our society under the close eyes of the higher powers. As for my family, I was an only child to two parents who both died during the war, fighting for freedom that we never got. I've survived since the end of the fighting by offering up myself for help in rebuilding our district, working on construction, putting the civic buildings back into shape so that District 7 can return to what it once was. It might not have been much, but it is better than nothing, which is what we currently have. In return, I receive meagre pay and temporary accommodation, until the Mayor can sort out a permanent home for me when District 7 is in better shape.

But for the last week, I have had more important matters to concern myself with, namely the twenty-one other tributes whose lives I must take if I want to survive. I don't know many of them, from the four tributes of the Career Alliance (District 2's Training Centre was destroyed during the Mockingjay Rebellion and none of their victors are left alive, so their position in the Career pack has disappeared) to my own district partner. She's a girl called Ashley who I'd seen around the District a couple of times before the war, but I know little about her other than the fact that she's two years below me and only scored a four in training. I haven't really paid any attention to her, despite having to spend much of the last week in close proximity to her.

I'm going into this without allies, as my escort Vanessa insisted. She's had to double up as a mentor to both me and Ashley this year as we have no living victors in District 7, so her advice is the best that I'm going to get. She's a new escort to our district this year, but everything seems to have changed at the Capitol end this year, too. It's as though Snow has ordered this Games to symbolise a fresh start. All of the escorts and stylists are unrecognisable to me, as though any connection to the Games from before the war have been severed. Even old Caesar Flickerman, the perennial host of the Hunger Games, has lost his post to Peeta Mellark, the eighteen-year-old who is possibly the only surviving person from District 12 and only one of six victors to escape Snow's wrath during the Mockingjay Rebellion. During my interview, I couldn't help but notice the differences to the boy I watched in the Games just two years before. It was almost distracting at times, which I'm using as an excuse for my mediocre interview. But Peeta is a different man now; he's Snow's man, through and through. Who else would willingly take an important role in Snow's weapon against the districts?

Suddenly I'm jolted from my thoughts as my capsule comes out into cold, crisp air, and I know that my time in the arena has begun.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the Seventy-Sixth Hunger Games begin!" a loud voice booms out over the arena, and it takes me a moment to realise that it isn't the voice of Claudius Templesmith but that of his replacement, another victor, Finnick Odair of District 4. He certainly wasn't a supporter of the Capitol, but with a failing cause, I wouldn't put it past Finnick to find a way to survive on his own. He must have some sort of bargaining tool with Snow, because he was a rebel leader. All others who survived the bombing were publicly executed at the end of the war.

For the first time, I look at the world created by the new Head Gamemaker, Florian Marshall. I get sprayed by cold water, and I turn behind me to see a sheer cliff-face, possibly thirty or forty feet high. At the bottom lies a churning sea and jagged rocks, and above it hangs an eerie mist. Whatever the situation, there is no way that I'm ever going to go over the edge. At least, not of my own choice.

Looking towards the golden horn known as the cornucopia that hangs like an ominous shadow through the mist that I now see to be all around me. The cliff-face that is a mere metre behind me curves away towards the pedestal on my left, passing just a metre behind where the boy from District 11 stands. On the other side, its path is identical until it passes the pedestal of the girl from District 4, one of my strongest rivals. She didn't score as highly as me in training (she scored a seven to my nine), but I know that she will still be a threat. Admittedly, I'm more concerned with her allies, particularly the boy from District 1, the only tribute to outscore me in training, in a year that yielded no absolutely outstanding tributes. The average score was surprisingly low this year.

Looking around the circle of tributes, I realise that I can only see around ten others, as almost everything beyond the cornucopia is obscured due to the fog. None of the other major threats (at least, in terms of tributes) have been revealed to me yet.

Without warning, the gong rings out over the arena, and the 76th Annual Hunger Games begin. For a couple of moments, my feet are indecisive as to where to go, until I realise that the only option is to stay and fight. I'm tall and thin, and I run over the short, wet grass that covers the ground between myself and the cornucopia quickly and safely, but I'm still surprised when I see that I'm the first tribute to arrive at the cornucopia.

Knowing that I won't have much time before the hordes of tributes arrive, I grab the first decently-sized backpack that I see, and sling it onto my wet back. Thankfully, it seems decently heavy to have at last a few good supplies within it. I frantically search for a weapon to use and my eyes settle on a silver sword lying a metre or so inside the horn, at I reach down to grab it. Just holding it in my hands, I seem to draw strength from the solid metal blade that reflects my face in its shine.

However, this confidence doesn't last long, as I sense somebody approaching behind me, and I lash out with my new weapon instinctively, swing it round behind me. There is a sickening crunch as the blade settles itself inside the boy from District 4's skull. I watch the light fade in his eyes and I can still see his vacant expression in my mind as I pull my weapon from his limp body. Dazed, I turn to run from the cornucopia before his former allies can get their hands on me, and I struggle to duck a punch from an unidentified girl as I scramble away, the image of the dead boy's face still resonating in my mind.

I'm quickly at the edge of the cliff again, which still seems to be curved on the opposite side of the island to my starting pedestal. looking back towards the cornucopia, I can see that chaos that is starting to unfold, and I feel glad that for now, if only for a few moments, I have some space to myself. I have to get away from here. I follow the edge of the cliff for a few steps to confirm my fears that the cliff is circular. We are on an island, and the only way to escape is by going down.

I glance back towards the cornucopia once more, and notice at least three or four bodies on the floor. The Games are already over for them, after just a few minutes. For now, I am alive. Although I might not be for much longer, unless I get off this island. Looking down at the water and rocks below, the cliff-face, I'm not sure if I can bear to make the leap into the cold water. But I either jump or risk it against the terrifying, sadistic Careers, and I already know which option I'd prefer.

I take a moment to brace myself before leaving myself at the mercy of the cold, churning ocean.

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**The arena for the 76th Games appeared small at first, and to an extent, it was. Many of the twenty-two tributes died at the cornucopia, either due to the fighting at the bloodbath or the fear of jumping from the cliff into the water, leaving themselves at the mercy of the three surviving Careers.**

**Of the ten tributes who jumped from the cliff on that first day, six of them survived the fall. One of the casualties was the girl from District 1, leaving the boy from One and the girl from District 4 as the only surviving Careers.**

**The six who survived the fall into the ocean found themselves at the mercy of the currents, which pulled them towards previously unseen caves in the cliffside, and the water carried all six of these tributes to land in a large, dark cavern beneath the cornucopia. From this cavern, the arena opened out into a maze of dark passages and tunnels designed to confuse the tributes.**

**That first night, there were sixteen faces in the sky, one of the highest numbers in Hunger Games history, although not quite a record.**

**The following day, the boy from District 3 was killed by Lionel of District 7, taking the numbers down to five.**

**It was two more days until the girl from District 5 died of dehydration, and the girl from Four killed her final ally in his sleep, taking the numbers down to three.**

**The final three survived the night into the morning of the fifth day, when the Gamemakers flooded the outer passages, killing the boy from District 8 and forcing the final two tributes, Lionel and the girl from District 4, back to the large central cavern for the final confrontation of the Games. The last Career fought bravely, but Lionel's size and strength was enough for him to win out, crowning him the victor of the 76th Annual Hunger Games.**

**The Games were unusually short due to the Capitol's need to demonstrate their power over the districts with such a challenging arena, causing at least eight deaths from their designs alone, and killing off a large number of tributes in such a short space of time. it was a warning to any remaining rebels that the Capitol was back in control, and that the districts' crimes would never be forgotten.**

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**A/N: And so ends chapter one of this new story! I hope that you all enjoyed chapter one, as there are some changes between this story and '75 Games ,75 Victors, 75 Oneshots'. I'd appreciate any feedback for the first chapter of what I hope will be a long story.**

**I would also like to point out that this story will be a community project of sorts, and that anyone can submit chapters to be posted in '75 Games: After the Mockingjay'. Details of how to do so are available on my profile, if anyone's interested.**

**I look forward to hopefully hearing from some of you soon.**

**GM97 :)**


	2. Atlas

**A/N: Thanks to Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin, Klicker'andKash, RealFiction, Kman528 and mangesboy01 for reviewing the first chapter of what I what I hope will be a long story.**

**I noticed in a review that a few people needed clarification about Enobaria's death and the fact that District 2 is no longer a Career District. The easy way of saying this is that this story is in an Alternate Universe, having been rewritten from Chapter 9 of 'Mockingjay'. Enobaria died during the Victors' Purge at the time of the Mockingjay Rebellion.**

**For those who are interested in knowing, here's a list of the seven living victors at the time of the 77th Annual Hunger Games.**

**Johan Hurst (26), District 1 Male - Runs District 1 Training Centre, mentor in the Hunger Games**

**Finnick Odair (26) , District 4 Male - Hunger Games commentator**

**Annie Cresta (26), District 4 Female - Unable to participate as a mentor due to mental instability**

**Ludovic Robertson (26), District 4 Male - Runs District 4 Training Centre, mentor in the Hunger Games**

**Lionel Compton (18), District 7 Male - Mentor in the Hunger Games**

**Harvey Collings (37), District 8 Male - Mentor in the Hunger Games**

**Peeta Mellark (19), District 12 Male - Hunger Games Master of Ceremonies**

**With that sorted out, I hope you all enjoy today's chapter, submitted to me by Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin :)**

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**"Some saw the sun**

**Some saw the smoke**

**Some heard the gun**

**Some bent the bow**

**Sometimes the wise must tense for the note**

**Caught in the fire, say oh**

**We're about to explode**

**Carry your world, I'll carry your world**

**Carry your world, I'll carry your world." **

**- Chris Martin, 2013.**

* * *

**The 77th Annual Hunger Games**

**Peony Chung (17), District 1 Female**

**Coldplay - ****Atlas ****(2013)**

* * *

I can't kill him. I can't let him die.

It's only been five days since I was launched into the arena, and there are only two of us left - me and my district partner, Leo. The odds are not in our favor - we are in love, and I am pregnant with his child.

There have been pregnant tributes in the Games before, but they all died. In most cases, the Capitol couldn't save the babies. I'm about eight months pregnant, which makes me very concerned for my baby's health if I live - or, if I die and they have to save the baby.

Leo also shares the burden. After the bloodbath, our fellow Careers went further into the arena to kill off the non-Careers while Leo and I remained at the cornucopia. Between the supplies in the cornucopia and all of the sponsor gifts I got, we saw no need to leave. If we saw a tribute come close, Leo would grab his Bec de Corbin scythe and kill them, all for the baby. Sometimes, if Leo's kill was difficult, I would grab my bow and arrows and help him from a distance.

Unfortunately, they called a feast this morning to bring together the remaining six tributes. Leo and I were the only ones to survive the feast, but not without injuries. While I only have a broken wrist and several gashes in my arms, legs, and shoulders, Leo is worse off - he took several stab hits with a knife, all while shielding me.

"You okay?" I ask Leo.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Leo says with a smile. Then he grows quiet. "Did we ever decide what we were going to name the baby?"

"If it's a girl, I would love to name her 'Sukie'. But, if it's a boy... We'll name him 'Leon'," I answer, choking up. Leo crawls over to me and gives me a kiss.

"Take good care of Sukie or Leon," Leo whispers to me before he slumps to the ground. After a few minutes, his cannon fires, and I hear victory trumpets. At that moment, I begin to scream and cry.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the victor of the Seventy-Seventh Hunger Games - Peony Chung, the tribute of District 1!"

A hovercraft ladder descends. As I get up to board the hovercraft, I feel a sudden rush of wetness down my legs.

I'm going to have the baby early.

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**Doctors in the Capitol managed to give birth to a premature, but healthy, baby Sukie via C-section, but they weren't able to save Peony. She died from a combination of complications from the surgery and the injuries she sustained in the arena. A relative of Sukie's adopted her, and Sukie now resides in District 1.**

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**A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I certainly did. Short but sweet, don't you think?**

**Feel free to let me know via review, and please check out my profile page for details on how to enter you own chapters to this story :)**

**I'll be back with another submitted chapter tomorrow :)**


	3. All Fall Down

**A/N: Thanks to RealFiction, krikanalo and mangesboy01 for reviewing!**

**This chapter was submitted by mangesboy01. I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

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**"Lost till you're found**

**Swim till you drown**

**Know that we all fall down"**

**- Ryan Tedder (2008)**

* * *

**The 78th Annual Hunger Games**

**Gannex Whipcord (16), District 8 Male**

**OneRepublic – All Fall Down (2008)**

* * *

The rain hits my face as I arrive from the catacomb. Instantly, I have to steady myself against the slippery pedestal. One wrong turn and I'll plummet to the stony ground, sending off my mine. _Death by explosion_, I think. It would be a death too boring for the Capitol's taste. Yet, it still happens. As if on cue, an explosion erupts. It's loud and with it comes shrieks and cries. Someone screams a name, but all I can think is_ someone has just died_; _falling from_ _their pedestal before the countdown has even began_. A death so soon. Now there are only twenty-one of us left.

A push the thought of death away and I glance down at the stony floor, it's bricked with grey and black rocks. I attempt to look around more but the fear of slipping off the pedestal quickly kindles that idea. _It's too risky with the rain pouring_, I think. I'll just have to observe my surroundings later when the bloodbath is over.

One thing I do manage to see is a stone wall that circulates around the arena – what I can see of it, anyways. The structure reminds me of that of a castle wall. The ones you read about in bedtime stories. My mother used to read those to me when I was younger. She'd talk about castles, dragons, and knights until my eyelids fluttered shut. Anything to keep my mind away from the hellish life we lived. That was a time before the bite of reality sunk in and my name was entered into the reapings. After that, I had no need to believe in fairy tales…only reality.

As the booming voice of Finnick Odair echoes through the still arena, my intestines tighten. As he speaks a pit emerges from the floor. It's as round as a lake, but I don't see any water in it, which is strange.

"Let the Seventy-Eighth Annual Hunger Games begin!" Finnick screams. At the sound of his words the raining ceases and the pit ignites with flames. Flames the color of indigo and crimson. I cringe at the sight of such hellish like infernos. Never have I seen such deadly flames.

Staring deeply into the flames, the words of President Snow flood my ears. T_he Districts shall endure Hell for rebelling against the Capitol. A Hell that will either break them or mold them; the choice is theirs._

Anger stirs inside my chest as I think of the irony laced within his words. What choice is he talking about? We have no choice! We either kill or be killed that's all. I don't see how someone could be anything but broken after this.

As I scan around the pit, I look at all the wooden torches and medieval weapons such as swords, axes, and spears that lay scattered at its mouth. Soon these weapons will be drenched in blood.

Then the countdown begins.

_60_

I ready myself on the plate, telling myself over and over again that I can do this. That I can win this. That I'll withstand this hell. I'll make it back home to see my folks and siblings.

I just need to get in and out of the bloodbath; avoid the flames and the delusional careers along the way. Their even more sadistic this year – the Careers. It seems their districts didn't take too lightly to Lionel of District 7 being the victor of the 76th Annual Hunger Games. It seems they assumed a career district would claim those Games.

_30_

As the time dwindles, I try to remember my strategy. Without a proper mentor to prepare me for the arena, I've relied heavy on my instincts when it comes to training and strategy. I just pray that it's enough to keep me alive.

All of District 8's victors died soon after our hospital was destroyed. Without a hospital, we had no way to heal or help the injured. Within weeks, all those who were injured from the war died. Never have a seen so many graves. I dug a few myself, but that was before they started digging mass graves and just dumping the bodies into them. No names, no headstones, no recognition of their life on earth, just dirt and the company of other pale bodies.

I decide to run into the cornucopia, despite the danger. It wasn't my original strategy, but I need supplies. Before I prepared to be able to use my edible plant knowledge in the arena, but from looks of this tone area, there won't be any rivers or edible plants of nature. The only thing I'll have to keep me alive is the supplies of the Gamemakers.

_10_

My muscles tense and my legs lock. I plant my black boots firmly on my plate, squatting into a running position. I can only pray that speed will be on my side today.

The gong sounds and I dart from my pedestal like a jackal. Left, right, left, I tell myself as I pass tributes whose legs can't carry them at my speed. I'm almost to the pit when I slam to a halt. As I noticed earlier, the supplies are hovering around the pit of fire. But what I didn't notice, was how close they are to the flames. One wrong move or slip up and you'll fall into the lack of fire.

Looking at the supplies, I notice that there isn't many either. A few black bags and wooden torches, but mostly weapons. I have a gut feeling these Games weren't designed to last long.

I jump from my daze and dash forward. Many of the tributes are already itching their ways up to the supplies. They seem to be just as weary as I am. No one wants to fall in and risked being burned alive.

Pushing through my fear, I sprint up to the pit. There, the heat is scorching and I instantly start sweating. Within minutes my clothing is drenched and my throat parched. My chest aches and it feels heavy to breathe. Ignoring the pain, I sweep a heavy black bag into my arms, but just as I do, my grasp is met by that of the boy from District 1.

"Give me the bag and I'll let you live!" he threatens, a heaving cough escaping his lips.

The smoke is heavy in the air and I can tell that he, like me, is struggling to breathe so close to the flames. Both our faces are covered with sweat as we exchange glares. This won't end well.

"Go to hell!" I scream, yanking the backward inward and colliding my fist with his face. He stumbles backward and for a second, I didn't realize how close we actually are to the flames. Now I do. The boy's body instantly falls into the pit. I listen in terror as he screams and curses. I know he is dead when his voice ceases. Instantly, bile rises in my throat at the thought of what I've done. _Murderer_.

I stumble forward, pulling my body through the thick smoke. It feels as if with every minute, it gets thicker and more suffocating. My eyes water and my lungs constantly hack from all the smoke I've inhaled. But even though my lungs are on fire, their pain is nothing compared to the guilt I fill in my chest. Guilt from murdering the boy from District 1.

The image plays over and over in my head. I imagine of his flesh pealing from his bones as he submerged into the flames. The once attractive boy who pranced around the stage the day of the interviews would now unrecognizable when he got sent home. He'd be nothing but ashes placed inside a decorative pot. The guilt hits again, this time harder, and I feel faint. _No, that can't be from the guilt_, I think. But before I have time to analyze my dizziness, the blackness over takes me and I fall to the hard ground.

My jaw aches and I taste blood, but besides the pain in my face, I feel relaxed. I feel as though I'm back in my bed, my mother reading me another bedtime story. _This is nice_, I think.

As the blackness encases my vision, I see a few more bodies lying on the ground. No one is up running or moving. But why? Are they as tired as I am? And why are we all laying down anyways? I know that we all fall down at times. But still, that doesn't make sense. This is the Hunger Games. Then it hits me, the reason why we all fall down.

"The smoke," I whisper, my eyes fluttering shut. "It's the reason we all fall down."

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**Summary:**

**The 78th Games lasted for a total of five days, which was relatively short. Within the first twenty minutes of the Games twelve tributes had died from the smoke or the flames. Plus, the boy from District 11 who slipped off his pedestal at the beginning of the Games. In risk of losing all the tributes to suffocation, the Gamemakers had to extinguish the fires and flood the arena with oxygen.**

**Gannex was amongst the few who were lucky to get the oxygen just in time. When he awoke from his sleep he pressed forward into a tower in which he stayed in for the next few days. Surprisingly, the Gamemakers left him alone, given that he'd provided the most entertainment so far when he sent the boy from District 1 into the pit of fire.**

**On the third day, four more tributes - ****two of the three remaining Careers died: The girls from Districts 1 and 4** died from dehydration and starvation. With little supplies in the arena many tributes succumbed to dehydration and died. There was only one water source in the arena, a small well, and only one tribute found it during the whole Games – the boy from District 6.

**On the fourth day the boy from District 4 killed the girl from District 11, downing the number of tributes to three.**

**On the fifth and final day, the last three tributes (The boy from 4, the boy from 6, and Gannex) arrived back at the pit. With little energy due to dehydration, the boy from Four quickly died at the hands of the boy from District 6. Gannex, who was much stronger and healthier because he had supplies, put up a much greater fight than the fallen Career. After a fifteen-minute battle, Gannex claimed his second kill in the arena after bashing the boy from District 6's skull into the stony floor.**

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	4. Maneater

**A/N: Thanks to mangesboy01, xx-Want-A-Sugar-Cube-xx, Klicker'andKash, charliesunshine, krikanalo and PrincessLyoka for reviewing! As ever, I appreciate the support :)**

**Just like the last one, this chapter was submitted by mangesboy01. I hope you all enjoy it. :)**

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**"She's a maneater."**

**- Nelly Furtado, 2009.**

* * *

**The 79th Annual Hunger Games**

**Beauty Charvet (18), District 1 Female**

**Nelly Furtado – Maneater (2009)**

* * *

I hold the silver pot in my hand, angling it so I can see my own reflection. I smile when I catch a glimpse of my suave skin and pearly teeth. I sigh softly, thinking,_ I'm just as beautiful as I was on day one._

I lace a strand of my gold hair though my fingers, twirling it around and around. _I'm bored_. Sitting around here doing nothing is taking its toll on me. What Career pack sits around for two days?

All we've done for the past two days is sit around our campfire sharpening our weapons, for what? To go hunting? We haven't went hunting for tributes since day four. Since then Velour has decided we should just hang around at camp for a while. _Velour_. What a terrible choice for a leader.

How could Johan and Ludovic agree on such a pathetic leader? Sure he got a decent score of ten in training, but he isn't the brightest star in the sky if that says anything. Besides, Velour has done nothing but tear this alliance down from the start. In the bloodbath, we only got eight kills. Eight really? And since then, we've only managed to hunt down and kill the weakling from District 9 and the burly girl from District 10.

I groan, rising to my feet. This alliance is pathetic. Just treacherous to say the least. And despite what Johan said about backing Velour and his decisions, I think it's time for it to undergo new management.

I walk over to Genevieve, whose steady sharpening her spear. She isn't much of a talker. Well, she only talks to her district partner Bain and on rare occasions Velour. But she doesn't really talk to me; I wonder why?

"Hello Genevieve," I say sweetly. "Would you like for me to refill you water canteen? I'm heading down to the lake now."

Genevieve doesn't even look up when I speak. Nor does she say anything. She just continues to glide the piece of steel up and down the arrowhead, ignoring my presence completely.

I storm away from my ally in rage. Why does everyone around here ignore me? Plus, they don't take anything I do seriously. I'm just as skilled as they are, even if they did score higher than me in training. My eight is still worth something. I scored high enough to be in this alliance, so I should get treated with same respect as everyone else. I'm not the weak link here. I'm not!

"I have a feeling your about to start whining again," moans Velour. Bain snickers from behind him. What is that imbecile laughing for? He couldn't even pronounce half the words Ludovic put for him to read during his interview. The guy's an idiot. They both are.

"It's nice to see you too," I counter, forming my face into a smile and twirling my hair dumbly.

Doing that trick always pisses Velour off. He always calls me a maneater so I figure I should play the part some. Besides, Velour says the only reason I'm here was because I manipulated Johan into letting me volunteer, which wasn't true. Velour's knows I was chosen for my skill. He knows the academy is always fair when selecting tributes. He just doesn't like me because of our past. And he's shown how much he's hated me from the start. He's constantly ignored me throughout the Games. As if he thinks he's better than me. _Please._

"Scurry along maneater," orders Velour. "Go find someone else to woo with your glistening smile and flirtatious curves." His voice is drenched with sarcasm, which I hate so much. I hate everything about Velour. From his voice to the way his blonde hair flips across his forehead.

"Aw, is someone upset because he got rejected?" I tease. "I'm sorry Velour. But I told you, I don't date little boys."

This time Bain chuckles at my words, which springs a smile upon my lips. Maybe he isn't an idiot after all.

"Shut up!" barks Velour as he elbows Bain in the ribs. Bain lets out a sharp wince as he wenches over. "You didn't reject me. I never wanted you to begin with!"

"Sure you didn't," I answer, yawning. Velour is so easy to round up. It's almost boring at how easy his buttons are to push.

"You didn't!" he yells. "Besides, you're the one who got rejected by Johan."

My face tightens and anger surges in my chest. I didn't get rejected by Johan. I didn't even do anything with my mentor. I'm not like that, well I am like that, but Johan isn't my type. Case closed.

"Besides, if it wasn't for Johan, you wouldn't even be in this alliance," he admits. "A score of eight is a score for a weak link, which you are." An evil grin tugs upon his lips, he thinks his words are ingenious. But they're not.

"The only reason I keep you around is because you're not half bad on the eyes," chuckles Velour as he nudges Bain playfully.

"I bet I'm stronger than you!" I scream, my voice cracking with anger. "I also bet I'd make a better leader too!"

Velour laughs hysterically at this and I hear Bain and Genevieve chime in too. In rage, I storm over to my quiver of arrows and bow. I'm not as good as Peony, the victor of 77th Hunger Games, but I'm decent. I quickly load an arrow and walk toward Velour. Still laughing, he doesn't even see my arrowhead pointed in his direction.

Without thinking I fire the arrow and it darts right past his head._ I missed, _I think_. I…I missed._

"Look at her face," exclaims Bain. "She really believes she's skilled with that bow and arrow!"

Now Velour is rolling on the floor, his laughter so loud that I feel as though I'm about to lose sanity. _This should shut him up_, I think as I load my second arrow and send it flying in his direction. This time it pierces his calf. He curses and screams, but my laughter barrels over it.

Without thinking I fire another arrow at Genevieve, and surprisingly it finds the mark the as well. I laugh when I hear her canon sound through the air. Guess I won't ever get to hear her speak.

I shoot another at Bain for good measure as I flee the campsite. Along the way I sweep down and grab my rub sack, slinging it over my shoulder. Maybe now they'll take me seriously. Maybe now they'll see me as a threat.

I trample through the woods, tucking my bow close to my chest. Behind me I can hear Bain running. Velour won't be doing much running for a while. I weave through the pines in and out, dodging knife after knife Bain throws. It's about time he did some hunting. Though this time it isn't some weakling or burly tribute he's after. It's me. _Beauty, what have you done?_

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**Summary: After a grisly chase, Beauty outran Bain. That day, Beauty was surprised to not just see Genevieve's face in sky but also Velour's. It seems that Bain went back and finished the wounded leader off, claiming all of the cornucopia supplies for himself.**

**On the eighth day Beauty ran into another tribute, the girl form District 3, dropping the number of tributes in the arena down to nine. Beauty had no problem killing the girl as she was weakened from starvation.**

**By the tenth day of the Games, the number of tributes had dropped down to six. Bain had finished off the two tributes from District 5, who were both hiding inside a cave defenseless, and the girl from District 8 died of dehydration.**

**On on the morning of the twelfth day, the Gamemakers decided to host a feast, at which all six tributes where present. Beauty came close to death during the feast but managed to wound Bain in the process. Though neither of Careers died at the feast, they both managed to kill others. Beauty killed the boy from District 2 and Bain the boy from District 10.**

**The end of the second week came and the Gamemakers unleashed mutts upon the arena, who found Bain and the girl from District 6, shredding them both to pieces. In the end, Beauty only won because she outran the boy from District 11, letting him get devoured by the mutts. It was said to be a victory of pure luck rather than skill.**

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	5. Fly

**A/N: Thanks to Klicker'andKash, krikanalo and PrincessLyoka for reviewing!**

**This chapter was sent in by Klicker'andKash. I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

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**"I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive**

**I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise."**

**- Rihanna, 2011.**

* * *

**The 80th Annual Hunger Games**

**Alexis Brown (18), District 2 Female**

**Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna - Fly (2011)**

* * *

It's been years since District 2 has had a victor. It's been almost as long since District 2 lost its place in the Career Alliance. But luckily for us, a few of our trainers survived after the Capitol bombed our Training Centre during the rebellion five years ago. And it's not like we're short of weapons to train with, either - even outside the Training Centre, many children were being illegally trained for the Games. There's an abundance of weapons in the basements of our district's people.

I guess most people wouldn't have thought District 2 would try to make a comeback. Maybe a couple did think District 2 would never give up. But most people were simply just blind and naïve. Or maybe they were hoping we wouldn't become the ever-so-violent killing machines again. Too bad.

This year, we're coming back again. This year, we will not fail. At least, I hope so. I scored a nine in training, and my district partner Viktor (how fitting!) did too. You should have seen the look on the girl from District 1's face. The utter surprise and anger - and maybe even a little fear - that District 2 might triumph again. The looks on the faces of the other tributes were perfect, too. I loved it. I loved it all.

We will triumph. We will emerge victorious. And most of all, we will bring fame and fortune back to our district. We will thank our district for raising us. We will survive. And I'll make sure that one of us, either Viktor or myself, will make it back alive.

The gong rings, signalling the start of the Hunger Games, and I fly towards the cornucopia. Seconds later I'm grabbing a sword, swinging it at the girl from District 5. I smirk as she let's out a scream before falling silent as she collapses.

Taking a moment to look around the arena, I first begin to appreciate the harshness yet beauty of our environment. The cornucopia is located in a valley, surrounded by sheer mountains. I fear that the Gamemakers may cause the mountains to collapse at some point during the Games. The valley seems to be filled with an abundance of prickly weeds. I didn't notice them at first, but I have several scratches down my left leg.

Looking around for my next victim, I see the fourteen-year-old girl from District 11 digging in a box. I run up to her and tap her on the shoulder. She turns around, fear showing in her dark brown eyes. I smile sweetly at her, bring out my knife and stab down. She staggers backwards, screaming. I bring the knife down again and again. It feels like a lifetime before the screams finally end.

I brush a strand of my brown hair away from my eyes. I'm covered in sweat. Up ahead, the last few non-Career tributes are in the distance. The girl from District 1, Shine, walks by, her dagger covered with blood. She grins at me and mouths "two". I grin back and hold up two fingers.

In the distance, I hear the cannon start, booming out across the valley. One... Two... Three... All the way up to eleven. Eleven! _Not a bad start,_ I think, smiling.

Things can only get better from here.

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**The 80th Games were rather violent. Alexis and Viktor, both wanting to bring glory back to their district, were equally bloodthirsty. Eleven died during the bloodbath, with the tributes of District 2 getting five kills. On the second day, the boy from Four speared the girl from Six, dropping the numbers to ten.**

**Nothing happened on the third and fourth days, but on the fifth morning of the Games, the Careers ambushed the boy from District 11. In the battle that followed, both Viktor - whose training score had placed him in the Career Pack - and the girl from District 4 died along with the boy from Eleven. The following day, a mutt attack killed off both of District 1's tributes. On the seventh day, the number of surviving tributes decreased to four as the boy from District 4 - the final Career - was killed by Alexis.**

The following day, there was an avalanche, killing three and leaving Alexis Brown of District 2 to be crowned the victor of the 75th Annual Hunger Games.

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	6. Ocean's End

**A/N: Thanks to Klicker'andKash, koryandrs and RealFiction for reviewing the last chapter!**

**This chapter is one of my own, and I've added in a couple of twists to spice up this series. I hope you all appreciate them and enjoy today's chapter :)**

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**"The ever-changing tide**

**Has turned around again**

**It takes me for a ride**

**To the ocean's end."**

**- Colin MacDonald, 2008.**

* * *

**The 81st Annual Hunger Games**

**Kai Nicholls (17), District 14 Male**

**The Trews - Ocean's End (2008)**

* * *

Sixty seconds. That's how long I have to wait until the gong sounds, signalling the start of the Hunger Games. The first thing that stands out to me is how vulnerable we all are in this arena. As far as I can see in every direction, there is only water. We have been thrown into the middle of an ocean, with just twenty-three other tributes and the tiny outcrop of rock that holds the cornucopia for company. The sky is blue and dotted with clouds, and it feels like a summer's day. At least the weather is on our side, if nothing else.

I quickly scan round the pedestals that encircle the cornucopia, searching for both threats and possible allies. Unfortunately for me, I spot that I'm between two of the Careers. On my left is the girl from District 2, whose district have recovered their Career status following Alexis Brown's victory in the 80th Games last year. On my right stands a boy I once knew.

It was amazing how long the Capitol survived without District 12, if I'm honest. They had enough provisions stockpiled to stand a few years without the regular coal quotas from the mining district. But it had to run out eventually. That's why last autumn, my family, along with many others from my district, were relocated to District 14, a new settlement put in place to assume the role of the wasted District 12. A few families from each district were taken to form a new life in District 14. If I'm honest, I like it in my new home, up in the mountains close to the Capitol. They want to keep a close eye on us, but that doesn't bother me. We're a pampered district now. The Capitol doesn't want to lose their coal quotas a second time.

My district partner, Hazel, is from District 7 originally. I've never known her, and I doubt I ever will. I don't think I saw her around Fourteen until the reaping, when she was culled from the fifteen-year-olds section. She's not strong enough to become a victor. Only three tributes have won under the age of sixteen, and she's no Cashmere, I can ensure you of that.

But I know that I stand a decent chance. I scored an eight in training, the joint third highest training score below the tens of the tributes of District 1. I might not have had a Career's training, but life in my new district has suited me well. I'm faring a lot better than most of this year's starving tributes from the outlying districts. The Capitol have made sure that the people of Fourteen have no reason to rebel, even if it means giving them an edge in the Hunger Games.

My attention once again returns to the boy on my right, Shane Donovan of District 4. A tall, sturdily-built boy of seventeen. Good with knives and a trident. Quick-minded, although sometimes irrational. But, possibly most important of all, a damn quick swimmer. It might sound like a lot of observations for three days in the Training Centre, but it's not from that. I used to go to school with this boy every day.

I might not have true allegiance to District 14 yet, but I'm no longer a boy of District 4, either. As Shane's eyes meet mine I give a curt nod, which he mirrors. Not friendship, not anymore, now that we are in the arena. But it is respect, and I supposed that is the closest that we will be to each other until one of us is no longer here.

I'm roused from my thoughts by the gong that signals the start of the Games, and I dive into the water instinctively. It's cold, but it seems easy to cut through the water, as though the water currents are pulling me in towards the cornucopia. Unsurprisingly, Shane and I are the first two to reach the rocky outcrop that is the only visible land in the arena.

We both scramble up the rocks to the entrance of the horn, only to reach the opening together and see that the golden horn is completely void of supplies. For a moment we stare at each other, out of breath from the short but quick climb. Then Shane lunges at me, his fists raised. I duck his initial swing, yet somehow he manages to twist me into a headlock. Struggling to free myself from his painful grasp, I watch as several other tributes arrive at the cornucopia to experience the same shock as I did. Then I feel Shane jerk me slightly from out semi-stalemate, and I kick him once, twice in the back of his knees and we fall backwards together.

I hadn't realised how close we were to the edge of the rocks until we fell ten feet into the water, plunging deep beneath the waves upon impact. My back stings from the impact, and I feel Shane lose his grip on me. When I surface, I find myself travelling away from the cornucopia, as though the currents that dragged us towards it just a couple of minutes before have been reversed. Shane surfaces ten yards to my left, and I watch as he tries to swim towards me, but to no avail. Eventually he gives up, realising that the currents that are dragging us from the cornucopia are also preventing us from reaching each other.

I watch the other tributes drop from the cornucopia into the water as they realise in turn that there is nothing to be gained from the rocky outcrop. All the while I tread water, making sure to keep my head above the waves long enough to arrive at wherever the Gamemakers want us to go.

For now, I'm completely at the mercy of the tide.

* * *

**That first day, the Gamemakers weeded out a lot of the weaker tributes as they controlled the currents, carrying the tributes towards the real beginning of the Games. Fourteen of the twenty-four tributes drowned in the eight hours that it took to arrive at the real arena, including two of the Careers; the boy from District 2 and the girl from One, who was one of the two highest scoring tributes in the Games. **

**It was evening by the time that the ten surviving tributes reached a small, flat island that was the arena. It was barely a mile wide and only had one area of concealment; dense woods that covered roughly a third of the land. There was no cornucopia on the island, but there was a small pile of supplies lying on the beach where the tributes washed up that day. Kai and Shane were the first two reach the supplies, as they were the fastest swimmers, and the first actual kill of the Games was Shane's attack on the girl from District 8, who was the next tribute to reach land. Kai had merely grabbed a backpack, a spear and a sword and bolted from the scene, making his way to the woods before he found himself entangled in the violence behind him.**

**By the time the sun set on day one, eighteen were dead. Kai, the girl from District 5, the boy from Eleven and three Careers were still in the Game. The following day was quiet, as most of the tributes found themselves in a battle to find warmth and shelter rather than a battle to fight each other. It was the morning of the third day when the girl from District 5 died at the hands of the Careers, but not before she killed the girl from District 4. The two surviving Careers, Shane and the girl from District 2, split the alliance with both of them being slightly wounded from their battles.**

**One the evening of the third day, Kai made his first kill, taking the numbers down to three as the boy from District 11 was impaled by his spear. The following morning, the girl from Two died by Shane's sword hand, leading to the highly-anticipated finale between two boys who were essentially from the same district.**

**There**** was a lot of media hype surrounding a finale that didn't really live up to its expectations. It was a decent fight, but both boys were too aware of what they were doing to each other to dare make the final move. For a long time they both went after each other tentatively, until Shane slowly forced Kai backwards into the sea.**

**There**** the fight continued as the day wore on, until a final blow was stuck by Kai, who watched the boy from Four sink below the waves, never to rise again, crowning him the victor of the 81st Annual Hunger Games.**

**This year was the first in the last eighty where a tribute won in their district's first appearance in the Games. The only other occurrence of this was in the 1st Annual Hunger Games, when Fraser Reynolds became District 4's first victor. **

**The 81st Games were also the third shortest in the history of the Games, at three days and five hours long. On the 8th Games (twenty-two hours) and the Third Quarter Quell (two days, fourteen hours) have concluded in a time shorter than that of the 81st Games. **

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	7. Breathless

**A/N: Thanks to mangesboy01, RealFiction, Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin, allonsydney, xx-Want-A-Sugar-Cube-xx and charliesunshine for reviewing! I appreciate the support :)**

**This chapter was written by PrincessLyoka. I hope you all enjoy reading it :)**

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**"Every mistake I've made leaves a scar that burns every day **

**Yet still I carry on. **

**Without regret without remorse I'm gone **

**You're better off to walk away I am corruption, I am sin."**

**- Danny Worsnop, 2011.**

* * *

**The 82nd Annual Hunger Games**

**Thanos Yunip (16), District 7 Male**

**Asking Alexandria - Breathless (2011)**

* * *

Me and my 15-year-old district partner, Pinia, were the only pair from the same district left.

It was day eight, and seven tributes remained. The boys from One and Two, the boy from District 5, the girl from Six and the girl from District 11 were all that was left to worry about. Somewhere in this desert arena, they wandered like me and Pinia, like lost dirt. Lost hope, ever since we lost the rebellion. Maybe not the boy from District 1 and the girl from Four, happy to have prey to kill once again for honor, but the rest of us. The rest of us just kicking up sand and dried up leaves. Or maybe fighting one another, or being chased away by anything the Gamemakers put them up to. Not me and Pinia, though, which I am glad.

I don't want to die and nor does Pinia. If we're the last remaining, well, I don't want to think about it. There is no way that I can live without Pinia, and vice versa.

I had found Pinia in an alley over seven years ago during a hard winter. She was shivering cold, emaciated, so sick she was going to die with that hacking cough alone. Having to have run away from her abusive parents a week ago, she was slowly dying by the surprising blizzard. I was just wandering home that day when I was attracted to her whimpering.

I took pity on her. Lending her my coat and guiding her home. I was lucky being an only child, my parents having spare money so they took in Pinia. Since then we were like siblings. But when we turned twelve we both took tesserae. Though it was a small amount, it added up. We were both reaped this year.

When Pinia's name was called, then mine, I thought about us dying. Then I thought about hope.

Somehow.

I was holding my ax tightly in my grip. Pinia had the hatchet, which she had killed the girl from 4 with when the pair from that District had tracked us down yesterday, apparently separated from the Career alliance. I killed the boy when Pinia was down. Pinia was scared to death, but I calmed her. We're both still shackened, those were our first kills.

Now here we are that day after, wandering alone.

Pinia stopped in her tracks. She turned around to face me and but her finger to her lips, stopping me and forcing me quiet. Apparently she developed a skill for knowing when trouble was coming and tried to sense it. Respecting it, I looked into Pinia's hazel eyes, reflecting the setting sunlight, watching that ash-brown hair flow in the approaching breeze. Before this moment, I hadn't realized how beautiful she was. I've always looked at Pinia as my sister, but now I saw her as a beautiful girl.

The breeze picked up until Pinia's hair was literally was just whipping around. Pinia blinked.

"You… you're…" she muttered.

She stepped close to me, then her hands pressed against my chest, her hazel eyes gone wild with fear.

"MOVE!"

Pinia shoved me to the side just as I was feeling the heat. Falling over, I saw a beam of red-hot fire coming from the horizon fly right into Pinia, and still moving on with the wind. She screamed as she was tumbled over and over in the fast moving air, trapped in the blazing inferno. I could only watch, horrified, as the beautiful Pinia was engulfed in flames. Her body turning a grayish-black.

"Pinia!" I yelled, getting back to myself "_Pinia_! _PINIA_!" I ran up to her and dived into the flames. I grabbed Pinia, or what was left of her. When I tumbled across on the other side, what was mostly left of my beautiful sister was blood, charred black bones, burnt flesh, and ash in a roughly shaped body of a once 15-year-old girl.

"Pinia!" I cried "Pinia! No, I shouldn't have! No!"

A cannon fired. Pinia's cannon. I laid her remains across the sand, watching my tears drip on Pinia's face. I could hardly make out her face. But her hazel eyes were hardly left the same.

It would be better for her if I had just left her to die in the cold. She wouldn't have ended up like this. No, never let her take tesserae. Her name would be in there even less times and the odds would be in her favor.

"Pinia…" I said, looking down at my sister. "You will not be forgotten. I will win now. Just for you."

I saw a blade of what was once her hatchet. I picked it up and tossed it aside. Her pack and its contents was hardly anything but gray ash, which I removed from her. I stuffed up sand and set it under her head as a pillow for her.

"For you, I will win."

I looked at the blaze, which was dying out now. It scared me, seeing Pinia being harshly killed by them.

"Pinia, I will win."

I got up and took one last look at her before marching away with determination in my face.

Because I will win for Pinia.

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**Later that day, a second blast of fire, like the one that killed Pinia, injured the boy from Two and burning up the last of his supplies. The next day, the girl from District 11 crossed paths with him and killed the weakened boy easily.**

**On the tenth day, a feast was called, in which the tributes from District 5 and 6 were killed. The boy from District 5 was killed from the girl from Six, who was in turn killed by Thanos who just had arrived. Thanos was injured in the fight, but was greeted with a bounty of food.**

**On the eleventh day, the girl from District 11 died of dehydration.**

**On the twelfth and final day of the Games, the Gamemakers swept up a sandstorm, dragging Thanos and the boy from District 1 together. After a brutal and hard fight, Thanos swung his ax into the boy from District 1's chest, killing the boy and crowning him the victor of the 82nd Annual Hunger Games.**

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**A/N: If you liked PrincessLyoka's chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	8. Sleep Alone

**A/N: Thanks to Klicker'andkash for reviewing the last chapter :)**

**This chapter was written by Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin, who informs me that some of this chapter is based on the film 'Inception'. I haven't seen the film myself, but if anyone who's reading this has seen it, then you'll probably pick up some sort of connection.**

**I hope that you all enjoy the chapter :)**

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**"He sleeps alone**

**He needs no army where he's headed 'cause he knows that they're just ghosts**

**And they can't hurt him, if he can't see them**

**And I don't know if in the morning I will be here, and it shows**

**Let it be known that I was worthy, I was worthy, I was worthy."**

** - Alex Trimble, 2012**

* * *

**The 83rd Annual Hunger Games**

**Kazura Miyafuji (16), District 2 Male**

**Two Door Cinema Club - ****Sleep Alone (2012)**

* * *

The clothes your stylists dress you in can tell you what an arena will be like. When my stylist dressed me in a black v-neck, a dark-blue jacket, dark-blue jeans, and black sneakers, I mentally prepared myself for an abandoned city, some type of indoor arena, or the obligatory forest.

What my stylist didn't tell me was how much the arena changed - I've gone from a beach, to a city with many types of architectural styles, to a bridge over water, to a hotel, to another city, and even a castle from a far-off nation called Japan.

All of the tributes were confused when were were lifted into the beach part of the arena, only for it to change to the castle, then to the rest of the areas, and then back to the beach, all within the span of the sixty-second countdown. In the confusion that followed, I was able to grab a good amount of supplies from the Cornucopia, including food, water, a large backpack, and a pitchfork. After that, I went solo.

Being from District 2, both of my parents avidly trained for the Games. However, they didn't end up in the Games, but they were offered jobs at the Training Center. My sister and I opted out of training, as my parents first brought it up around the time of the Second Rebellion, and we were optimistic that the Hunger Games would end. Now, here I am, in the Games, trying to go back to mom, dad, and my sister, Yukari.

Despite the lack of training, I am pretty smart, and I have learned to use this pitchfork pretty quickly. I first used it on the girl from District 5 out of self-defense, and I only grazed her side. She was one of the faces shown in the sky on the first night. The next day, I found the boy from Eight, who was hiding inside the castle, muttering to himself about "leaps of faith". I killed him out of mercy, being that he was only twelve and he was probably going to suffer later on.

It's now the third night in the confusing arena, and I decided to camp out in the hotel for the night. I have just received a sponsor gift consisting of a heavy jacket, boots, gloves, a scarf, a hat, and a ski mask, with a note that says, "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger." The sender left no note, so it leaves me time to mull over what he or she said.

My thoughts are cut off by a scream. I turn back, and I see two girls - The girl from District 6 and a girl I haven't seen in the arena - She wears an evening dress and has brown hair, but she looks like she's ready to kill.

"What's going on?" I ask out of instinct. The girl pushes me back onto a balcony.

"Her name is 'Mal'. She's been attacking everyone since this morning. She's a Gamemaker's mutt," The girl explains, out of breath. Mal pulls out a knife.

"Oh, is this your boyfriend?" Mal asks, walking over to us. "Do you know what it means to be a lover? What it means to be half of a whole?"

Mal turns to the girl from Six and presses her knife to the Tribute's throat. The girl lets out a scream.

"Don't kill me, please! I have a boyfriend and a grandma to come home to! Let me live!" The girl yells.

"I'll tell you a riddle..." Mal says hauntingly. "You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But, it doesn't matter..."

Mal presses the knife deeper into the girl's throat.

"Because we'll be together."

In one swift motion, Mal slits the girl's throat. As soon as her cannon fires, I run off, weighed down by a pitchfork, a large backpack, and my Sponsor Gifts. It doesn't stop me from going further and further away from Mal, but it takes a while to lose her. After what seems like forever, I have lost Mal, as I have hid in a bathroom.

"Hey."

I turn back, and I see the duo from District 4 and the girl from One.

"Hey," I greet back. The four of us then grow quiet.

"We saw you run away from Mal," The girl from District 4 says quietly. "Would you like to be allies with us?"

I take a moment to ponder this. There doesn't appear to be some semblance of a Career Pack, unlike a few years back. Everyone in the Capitol is hoping the Careers will be back this year, but it doesn't look like it. I'm smart and I feel like I'd belong more in District 3, my district partner is a blind, fourteen-year old who I haven't heard from since the night of the interviews, and the boy from District 4 is a lone wolf. That only leaves the two from District 1 who still have some Career spirit, since the girl is a spoiled brat who gets really mad when she doesn't get her way, and her District Partner is somebody I can't trust.

"Sure," I answer, a smile forming on my face. "I'll be your ally."

Little do they know of my plan. A plan that has just been formulated by spur-of-the-moment inspiration. They say that true inspiration is faked, but I think otherwise.

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**Based off of an old, pre-Panem movie called ****_Inception_****, the arena was based off of the dream landscapes featured in the movie, with the arena changing daily, or even every few hours.**

**The next day, Kazura and his allies awoke in a fortress on a snowy mountain. Kazura was well-prepared for the cold due to his sponsor gifts, but his allies weren't so lucky - The girl from District 4 died of frostbite, and the boy from District 1 was forced to cut his arm off. Kazura and the duo from One stayed in the fortress, due to a raging blizzard and avalanche outside that killed three tributes.**

**In other parts of the arena, Mal the muttation stalked and killed tributes, bringing the playing field down. On the sixth day, when Kazura and his allies ended up in the Japanese castle, Mal found them and murdered the boy from 1, but not before Kazura and his ally escaped.**

**By day eight, there were only four tributes left - Kazura, the girl from District 1, the boy from District 9, and the girl from Seven. The Gamemakers called a feast, but it had a twist - The feast would be hidden in the city with buildings of many architectural styles, which was dubbed "Limbo" by the Gamemakers. Determined to bring victory to her district, the girl from District 1 ambushed Kazura, but he acted fast enough to stab her to death with his pitchfork. Back in the hotel, the girl from Seven had a mental breakdown due to the nature of the arena and tortured the boy from District 9 to death.**

**After navigating the streets of Limbo, Kazura eventually found the Feast items inside of a house on top of a skyscraper. Within minutes, the girl from Seven found Kazura. Just as she was about to pin Kazura down and torture him like what she did to the boy from District 9, Kazura knocked the girl off of him, stabbed her in the thigh, and threw her out of a window, crowning him the Victor of the 83rd Annual Hunger Games.**

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**A/N: If you liked this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	9. Treasure

**A/N: Special thanks go to mangesboy01 and PrincessLyoka for reviewing the last chapter! :)**

**This chapter was submitted by mangesboy01. I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

* * *

**"Treasure that is what you are."**

**– Bruno Mars, 2013.**

* * *

**The 84th Annual Hunger Games**

**Rian Clouters (16), District 5 Female**

**Bruno Mars – Treasure (2013)**

* * *

Marigolds. That's what covers the meadow in front of me. The oranges, yellows, and reds all blossoming so luscious and full. I should take joy in this. The beauty of such things; delicate things, ordinary things. But I can't, can't accept any form of happiness while I'm still in this arena. Happiness will only become that of a distraction in my multifaceted strategy.

The prudent vegetation in front of me only reminds me of that of the bloodbath. It took place there…here. It was where the vile, red blood was spilled. Spilled right upon their delicate petals. Though the flowers didn't seem to care, like the Careers, they seem to be fueled by it, budding with each drop that they leeched from the fallen ones.

Past the meadow is the bronze cornucopia. It's the reason why I'm here. Why we're all here actually.

_A feast_, I think weakly. _More blood and more killing._

You would think I would be immune from it by now. Not really bother by the sight of adolescents murdering adolescents. That two weeks in this arena would warp me into some bloodthirsty monster like it has the boy from District 9, Grimes. But I'm not.

Grimes started out like the rest of us, scared and confused, but now, he kills with ease. Slicing his sickle with little effort across a body of another. I've seen him kill before… well, many of times. Watched him take out the dim-witted boy from District 10 just two days ago.

You see, I'm perceptive of these things. Slipping around in the night, spying on the other tributes. Using more so my wits rather than a weapon. Plus, I happen to steal from Grimes regularly. A knife here, an apple there, then just yesterday, a cracker or two. Never enough to make him question his supply count or my sly tactics.

My raids grow less frequent now. And the gnashing of the snake in my stomach more violent. Day by day, my starvation deepens, like that of a bottomless mud pit. It's been precisely thirty-six hours since I've had a full meal, which consisted of a small bowl of chicken broth and a few sticks of celery. The meal was a gift from a sponsor, astoundingly. My only presumption as to why I received such a delicacy was that they liked the little agenda I pulled on the boy from District 1, pickpocketing him of his asylum – an exquisite medical kit, while he gigged for fish in the river.

I've yet to use it, the medical kit. Instead, I have it buried out among the trees. I've learned to bury my supplies here. There's advantages and disadvantages to the idea, I know. But the pros seem to outweigh the cons on a daily scale. For example, let's say for instance if someone was to kill me, they wouldn't get any of my provisions. Provisions that I've hoarded since the first day in this arena.

Now, I sit, curled inside the core of a bush, waiting for the feast to begin. My muscles ache from my stroppy positioning and my right leg seems to have fallen asleep. It feels as though I've been lying here for countless hours, yet I know it's only been five. It's frivolous of me to think that, I know.

A light projects from the ground, then the cornucopia slits up and a serpentine shaped table arises. The curves and length seem perverse and the technique of the placing obtuse. All that lies on the odd table is a plate of bread.

"Stale bread," I groan. I put myself at this much risk for stale bread.

To occupy my racing mind, I delicately tie my auburn hair into a bun, intertwining my hair fibers up and down, then sweeping my elbow up in a ninety degree angle to the back of my head. I do this to make sure that all of untamed mane is neatly in place. It is.

A see a dash of a figure. The olive skin. The dark brown hair. The same limp. It's my district partner Thed. Instantly at his sight, my body feels like a furnace, hot with anger. How could he be so dumb as to run out in the open for a loaf of stale bread? Does he not have any cerebral thoughts left in his pea-like brain?

Then instantaneously another figure appears from the woods, and my chest tightens. _It's Grimes_. I think. _And he's right on Thed's tracks._

Thed frantically grabs the bread, then darts for the security of pines. Though, he never reaches it. I can only watch in horror as Grimes plummets onto Thed's frail body, wedging his sickle in between my district partner's shoulder blades. The canon erupts after a few elongated screams, and as it does, I feel sympathy for him. I never knew him personally. Well, we never actually did talk either. Obviously, we both knew that the other couldn't live if we wanted to survive. Guess, we knew the odds too well.

I spring to my tip-toes, oh so quietly avoiding the sticks and leaves. I need a soundless and speedy escape, but in reality, it's already too late. I know this because I hear his voice.

Grimes' voice.

"You're the one who's been stealing my food, huh?" asks Grimes. "Pretty clever…pretty clever."

I turn around, baffled as to how close he is to me. Did he know that I was there the whole time? No, of course not, I waver. He isn't that intelligent, is he? Certainly no, I have him pegged correctly. I'm sure of it. Grimes just some brute with a sickle, nothing too lethal. Nothing my brain can handle.

I don't answer his question. Instead, I just stare coldly into his eyes. He lies only fifteen feet from me. Too close for comfort. Too close for silly antics or games.

_My feet will have to be arithmetic in their pace and placement, _I tell myself. _Agility and Endurance are my only answers to this problem_.

"Cat got your tongue," purrs Grimes. "I mean, I feed you for several days and you won't even speak to me. Don't you at least think a proper thank you is in order?"

A let a sly smirk pass across my lips. _Maybe a proper thank you is in order_, I think. _But then again, when do you say thank you after stealing?_

"You could make this easier on yourself, you know," growls Grimes, I see the anger flushing in his cheeks. It seems mister egotistical doesn't find my silence to flattering. "Well, looks like it's that time again." Grimes glances down at his wrist, as if there is some type of watch coiled around it.

Instinctively, I look right past him, trying with every bone in my being to withhold the cold façade I have in play. But on the inside, I'm panicking. There are too many variables that could go wrong during this encounter.

Grimes steps forward and I jump back quickly, losing my balance in the process and slipping onto the soft dirt. I let out a sharp squeal as I hid the ground, and at the sound of this Grimes giggles, like that of a school girl. The sound unnerves me, but at the same time, it gives me enough time to conjugate an idea. One that might just save my life.

Swiftly, I look up to Grimes who's now laughing so hard he has tears in his eyes. He's distracted. Great.

"You even squeak like a thieving rat!" he laughs.

On the ground, I take full advantage of his delusion, scooping up a handful of the loose dirt. Next, I take out my knife, tucking it behind my torso in a secretive fashion and away from his curious eyes.

It's time to play dirty.

Now, I'm on my feet and approaching the monstrous boy. Moving quick and agile with every step. At first, Grimes seems shocked maybe puzzled, but then he grins crookedly, embracing our battle. But before I reach him, I hurl the dirt into the air, slinging it directly into his eyes.

Grimes curses and fumbles, showing I've succeeded. Without hesitation, I combed the blade through my fingers, driving it deeply into his spine. At the sound of his screams I bolt, leaving the knife in its current position and trading it for the stale bread and rucksack.

It's only when I reach my burial grounds that I hear Grimes' canon. It takes longer than I thought. But at the same time, my infliction wasn't all too aimed or precise. My tactic was to paralyze him, not kill him. I wanted him to watch me steal from him one last time. Hear me squeak as I scurried into the woods like a thieving rat.

After empting my new supplies into my hole, I take a few pieces of bread and nibble on them. It's dry and tasteless. But what it symbolizes is something far deeper than just crusty piece of wheat. _It's a piece of treasure_, I think, a smirk spreading across my cracked lips. _A treasure that I will bury tomorrow, but enjoy tonight._

* * *

**After the feast on day thirteen, there were only four tributes left in the arena. Rian, the girl from District 8, and the pair from District 14, who had been working together since the fifth day.**

**On days fourteen and fifteen nothing happened in the arena.**

**It wasn't until day sixteen that something exciting actually happened in the arena. The boy from District 14 betrayed his ally, killing her in her sleep. They were running low on supplies.**

**On the seventeenth day the boy from District 14 died at the hands of the girl from District 8. During the battle, the girl from District 8 was wounded by the knife of the boy from Fourteen.**

**The Gamemakers not wanting to interfere with these Games, waited. There was no mutts put in place to bring the two tributes together. This was going to be a Games of endurance and suffering.**

**On the nineteenth day, the girl from District 8 finally succumbed to blood poisoning, which meant Rian was claimed victor. Also, it is said that when Rain was recovered by the hover craft, she was so emancipated from starvation that she'd lost almost a quarter of her body weight.**

**These Games, the eighty-fourth, were by far the longest Hunger Games since the Mockingjay Rebellion. In the years prior to this Hunger Games, the arenas had been designed to destroy the districts quickly, to demonstrate the power of the Capitol. This year, the Games were drawn-out, so as to prolong the suffering of the districts and to give them the impression that the Games were here to last.**

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**A/N: A review for mangesboy01, anyone? As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	10. Fences

**A/N: This chapter's a more normal one by Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin. I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

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**"You're always on display  
**

**For everyone to watch and learn from  
**

**Don't you know by now? You can't turn back  
**

**Because this road is all you'll ever have**

**And it's obvious that you're dying, dying**

**Just living proof that the camera's lying**

**And oh, oh, open wide, 'cause this is your night**

**So smile, 'cause you'll go out in style**

**You'll go out in style."**

** - Hayley Williams, 2007.**

* * *

**The 85th Annual Hunger Games**

**Lana Strider (17), District 3 Female**

**Paramore - ****Fences (2007)**

* * *

I can't believe that within a span of a week, I've gone from straight-A student at the District 3 Academy to a tribute in the Games. I had everything - a middle-class life in a poorer District, good grades, and a boyfriend - but the Capitol had to go and reap me.

The arena doesn't help my cause this year - it's a college campus. Here in Panem, only the people in the Capitol and Districts 3, 5, 6, and 10 attend college. The people in those Districts are required to attend college due to their Districts' trades (technology, power, transportation, and livestock, respectively).

That is, if they don't end up in the Games like me and die.

At the Cornucopia, I lucked out by getting a large backpack with several water bottles, some trail mix, some energy bars, a first-aid kit, water purification tablets, and a lead pipe. A few seconds later, the lead pipe gave me my first kill - the girl from Ten. Later on, I found the two twelve-year-olds from District 11 hiding in an elevator, and I killed them in five minutes. The Careers probably don't know about these kills yet, but they will get suspicious tonight when the faces of the dead are shown in the sky.

After wandering the vast campus for a while, I decide to go into the nearest classroom to take a breather. I'm not an inventor like Beetee or Wiress, and I don't have a huge, brilliant plan in the works like my Kazura Miyafuji, the District 2 victor who won a coulpe of years ago. Sure, Kazura was from a Career district, but he had the smarts of someone from District 3. He lured tributes to the muttation stalking the arena, and he managed to throw the psychotic girl from District 7 off of a high balcony during the Games.

As for me... I was always the confident, smarty-pants type back home. Here... I'm just a nobody. My chariot ride costume had nothing on the fur underwear-clad tributes from 1, my training score of seven was overshadowed by the Careers' high scores, and all of the tributes I asked to be in an alliance with - the girls from Districts 5 and 8 along with the boy from District 9 - turned me down.

On top of that, I have not heard from my district partner since last night after the interviews. Like me, he also seems like an average nobody from an outlying district. Nobody will remember him after he dies, and his family and friends will carry on like always after his body is returned to Three and the funeral is held.

It sucks that if I die in the arena, I probably won't be remembered. Will my boyfriend move on from my death and find somebody else? Will there be another Lana to attend the District 3 Academy? Will my friends let someone new into their group to fill my empty spot?

Before I can dwell some more on my likely death, somebody comes in. I clutch my lead pipe, and the twelve-year old girl from District 9 walks in. All I can remember about her is that she lost her left arm and an eye in an accident in one of District 9's wheat fields.

"Are you... Going to hurt me?" The girl asks innocently. I touch her shoulder.

"No. But, I will make the pain go away," I say as I put down my pipe. Then, I twist the girl's head, snapping her neck and triggering her cannon.

Maybe I will be remembered after all. Thinking about the events so far in the Games, I've killed off killed four people already, so people in the Capitol are probably looking at me as a contender right now.

* * *

**In total, eleven people died in the first day of the Games - seven at the bloodbath, and four at Lana's hands. Lana's district partner did not die during the bloodbath, but ran away and hid in a dormitory building.**

**That night, the Careers grew suspicious when they saw four, extra faces in the sky. Quickly figuring out that one of the tributes from the non-Career districts was responsible for the murders, the Careers began a vicious hunt, killing off anybody they suspected of killing their prey. While Lana didn't run into them, she ran into the boy from District 10 and the girl from District 14, killing them by bashing their heads in with her pipe.**

**After a week of the Careers' hunting, the Gamemakers called a feast to bring together the final eight. While Lana opted out of going to the feast, her district partner and the Careers went. Lana's district partner died during the feast, but not before killing the duo from District 2 and the girl from Four, splitting the remaining Careers.**

**Three days later, in order to bring together the last surviving tributes, the Gamemakers set fire to each of the buildings, save for the building that housed the student center, lounge, and dining hall. The two tributes of District 1 died in the fires, narrowing the playing field down to Lana and the boy from District 4. As the boy from 4 was weakened by smoke inhalation, Lana had little trouble killing him to become the victor of the 85th Annual Hunger Games.**

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	11. I Wish I Knew How

**A/N: Thanks to mangesboy01, xxxRimaxxx, RealFiction, Mercoorio, AwkwardCuteness and koryandrs for reviewing! :)**

**This chapter has been written by WeeMadArthur, using an arena idea that I was planning on using for the Fourth Quarter Quell (The 100th Annual Hunger Games). However, he's done such a good job with it that I figured I'd show it to you all now, and I'm left without an idea for the upcoming Quarter Quell.**

**Still, I'm sure that you'll all enjoy this chapter :)**

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**"I wish I knew how it would feel to be free**

**I wish I could break all the chains holding me**

**I wish I could say all the things that I should say**

**Say 'em loud say 'em clear**

**For the whole wide world to hear."**

**- Tunde Baiyewu, 2001.**

* * *

**The 86th Annual Hunger Games**

**Cicely Bailey (17), District 11 Male**

**Lighthouse Family - I Wish I Knew How (2001)**

* * *

It started off with a blind fight, the cornucopia under the ground with barely enough light to see. That first day had been spent walking winding tunnels - many of which lead to dead ends - with the constant fear of them collapsing, as many of the timber beams holding them up looked rotten in the pale light of the many tiny holes leading to the surface and the pale light of my torch.

That first night I had spent climbing desperate to escape the damp smell of earth and the constant fear of being ambushed. What lay above the ground wasn't much better though - an abandoned, crumbling town. The horizon was bleak and grey. The only hints of buildings were the remains of foundations or crumbled down shacks that looked like they could be blown over by a little gust of wind. Ash dust floated in the air making it hard to breathe, because on the outskirts of the town stood what remained of a wood, its trees now merely burnt stumps. The only signs of life were the tiny green shoots that peaked out from under layers of mud. The only area of the town that wasn't destroyed was a few large houses on a hill overlooking the other ruins, so far up that I hadn't gone to examine them, preferring to stick to the ruins. I was sure any tributes who had climbed out of the caves would head in the direction of the few surviving structures, so I kept my distance.

I had studied the Games before, or rather we had been forced to study them in school but I can't recall any arena being this depressing. They have used abandoned towns before, but here even the weather seems to reflect the grey crumbling town, being bitterly cold at night with grey overcast skies during the day, with constant spitting rain. It was a constant reminder of the depressing situation I was in; a televised fight to the death.

The hours of twilight are my domain. I may not be one, but I have the mindset of a Career, preferring to sleep or rest during the day and creeping about when light is fading, where I am harder to see and people are letting their guard down. It is on the third day when I am creeping towards the middle of the abandoned town when I come to the realisation that I am in a new part of town that I have previously not explored. The landscape is pretty much the same, although some parts are clearly different and others are somewhat familiar. Close to what must have been the centre the town the ruins are worse, large craters dot the landscape, whoever used to live here was obviously at war and had been bombed, we had some similar craters back home. Then I reach a small square where one building remains, more intact than the others. I bite my lip and bad feeling has started to creep into my stomach. I'm not sure if it's because I am being watched or the desolation of the arena is starting to get to me.

For some reason the larger building is calling to me even though it lies in ruins like the rest. I wait for darkness to fall before daring to cross the square in fear of being spotted or ambushed. Feeling hesitant as I approach the building I slowly climb the steps the ominous feeling growing. The remains of a pillar stand at the top of the steps where the caved in door sits behind it. It looks like there is no way in the building, which is a good thing, but as it starts raining I find myself inching closer to the door. It is only when I get close I see a large carving in its centre. I can't make it out in the light only feel it with my fingertips; I can feel a large circle like a crest.

My stomach tightens when I feel this and I get suspicious; part of me doesn't want to find out but I can't stop my hands which fiddle at my belt and then trembling turn on my torch. I feel sick. It's a crest all right, and one I recognise, too. I don't believe they have done this too us. It's sick, but what did I expect form the Capitol? They are always ready to remind of the reason these Games came about and what happened to those who dared oppose the Capitol, such as those who lived in District 12, where this year's Hunger Games are being held. Trembling, I flick off the light and rush away, finding shelter from the rain in another burnt out building. We are in the birthplace of the mockingjay, to serve as a lasting reminder to the remaining districts of what happens if you challenge the Capitol. Then I remember the houses on the hill. _No wonder they felt familiar_. They are the victors' houses, just like those we have back in District 11. _She_ lived there once, when she was our symbol of hope. I know it might be dangerous and painful but I know I need to go there tomorrow.

The next day I make the climb up the hill, as I get closer I can see the large victors' houses are in pristine condition, completely unharmed and in complete contrast to the bombed-out district below. I question my motives as I get closer to the houses; coming here will do no good and only serve to upset me. Something horrible is probably awaiting me but I now I know where I am, I feel drawn towards the houses.

The houses are imposing and when on the street I feel vulnerable. Only three houses remain and loom over me imposingly. I find myself pulling out my seethe and clutching it tightly. Carefully I approach the three houses with picket fences, small gardens, dead flowers in their beds and dark, gloomy windows. My stomach lurches when I see the last house, painted on the front is a mockingjay, like the badge she used to wear, but it is painted in the dark red colour of dried blood. Bile rises in my throat and I feel wetness behind my eyes. I never knew her and I was too young during the rebellion but I knew the story. She was a secret legend back home, she had helped my eldest sister Rue in her games. It was her actions with my sister that sparked hope in people, not that I could remember it, but these are the stories my eldest brother had whispered to me at night. I can remember him telling me that it was important to remember.

My eyes are drawn to two stones sitting in the front gardens of two of the houses. I don't need to approach them, I already know what they are, shiny white headstones of the two victors from twelve, one the mockingjay and the other her mentor. Both had been targeted and died in the rebellion. The only garden that remains without a tombstone was that of the middle house, belonging to Peeta Mellark, the man in his late twenties who interviewed me prior to the Hunger Games just a few days ago. How much of the decision to become part of the coverage team for the Games was his, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been coerced into taking the role after the Mockingjay Rebellion. I close my eyes, trying to erase the images form my mind, but it is no good. I shouldn't have come here; I wish I had never found out what this place was.

"Sick, isn't it?" A sneering voice comes from behind me. I spin around and face the much taller tribute from District 1, Shimmer something-or-other. He stands a few steps away, a sword raised in his hand, it glistening with blood. His voice lets me know he is indifferent to this horrible but moving relic of old. He flips a lock of golden hair out of his eyes; those eyes that show amusement.

"Don't get too upset, Eleven. Emotion makes you weak."

I glare at him, raising my scythe and take a deep breath, taking strength from my surroundings. I am here in the final resting place of the mockingjay, someone who stood up for the those who had no voice. People like me. She may have failed along with the rebellion, but her spark has yet to die completely.

* * *

**Cicely took strength from seeing the victors' houses in District 12. She used the anger of injustice of it all, her overwhelming want to escape this ghost district to end the games as quickly as she could. Shimmer, the boy from One, was the first obstacle in her way****. He was Cicely's second kill of the Games (the first being a tribute from District 3 - a panicked attack in the darkness of the bloodbath).**

**Over the next three days, Cicely hunted down those above ground, killing two more tributes. The final four saw two separate final battles. Cicely faced off against Shimmer's district partner above ground on the steps of the old town hall, and the boy from Fourteen fought the boy from District 6 below ground in the old mines. Cicely won by her battle by slitting the wrists and throat of the girl fro One, while the boy from District 14 won by causing a tunnel to collapse on the boy from Six. However the boy from Fourteen was unable to control the extent of the collapse and ended up bringing down the whole mining network, burying himself alive and crowning Cicely Bailey the winner of the 86th Annual Hunger Games.**

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! As ever, constructive criticism is welcomed :)**


	12. Little Black Submarines

**A/N: Thanks to xx-Want-A-Sugar-Cube-xx, Klicker'andKash, Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin, xxxRimaxxx, PrincessLyoka, mangesboy01 and Mercoorio for reviewing! I'm glad that you all seemed to like WeeMadArthur's writing :)**

**This chapter's by Oxenstierna D. Yuki-Rin. I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

* * *

**"Treasure maps for a dream**

**Operator, please call me back when it's time**

**Stolen friends and disease**

**Operator, please patch me back to my mind**

**Oh, can it be? The voices calling me**

**They get lost and out of time**

**I should've seen it glow, but everybody knows that a broken heart is blind**

**That a broken heart is blind." **

**- Dan Auerbach, 2011.**

* * *

**The 87th Annual Hunger Games**

**Miller Pratt (18) - District 7 Male**

**The Black Keys - Little Black Submarines (2011)**

* * *

"_Attention, all Tributes, we will be holding a feast at the cornucopia in about an hour. There, all of you will find an item that you didn't realize you needed until now. May the odds be ever in your favor_."

I turn to my two allies - Opal from District 2 and Erika, my fourteen-year old district partner. The only reason the two tributes from District 7 - a fourteen-year old orphan from the Community Home and an eighteen-year old lumberjack - got far in this years' Games is because the arena is yet another forest. However, in order to make the President and the Capitol happy, there are also snow-capped mountains and a lake so clear you could see to the bottom deep beneath the surface.

"Who's staying behind to watch our stuff?" Opal asks. I sigh.

"I guess Erika. The both of us need to go in case something bad happens," I explain. I'm very wary of Opal;she ditched the Careers so she could ally with us. Naturally, this has caused a lot of talk in the Capitol surrounding us, and subsequently there has been plenty of sponsor support coming our way. Only one can wonder what she's really up to.

"Erika doesn't have a weapon," Opal argues.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I can hide in case somebody comes," Erika says. I smile at Erika.

"I'll take your word for it," I say reassuringly.

* * *

Opal and I aren't the first ones to arrive at the cornucopia. When we get there, the girl from Four is finishing off the boy from District 5.

"Distract the girl, and I'll get the backpacks," I whisper. Opal nods and charges at the girl from District 4 while I grab the backpacks marked _Two_ and _Seven_. Then, something hits me on my head and pushes me to the ground. I look up and see the girl from One, looking for a knife to carve me up with. As she struggles to grasp a weapon, I grab my hatchet and the backpacks. Without any thought, I bury my hatchet into the girl's head. A cannon fires, but I don't hear one for the girl from Four.

"Opal?!" I ask, turning around. Opal is gone, and the girl from Four is on the ground, slowly bleeding to death. I walk over to her.

"Kill me. Just kill me so it can be over and done with," The girl requests. Slowly, I raise my hatchet.

"You're welcome," I say blankly before beheading the girl. As soon as her cannon fires, another one goes off. I pick up the backpacks and head off, assuming Opal found somebody from another district.

* * *

When I get to our campsite, the scene that I have feared greets me - Erika's body is being lifted into a hovercraft, and Opal is nowhere to be seen.

I should've known - Opal was just using our alliance to kill us and bring victory to District 2, like so many tributes before her.

Holding back tears, I kneel down and open the backpack for District 7, revealing several axes of varying size, from throwing axes to a large, battle axe.

Looks like they wanted a finale at the feast, or at least very soon. Now I'll give them a finale, in memory of Erika.

* * *

**Miller's suspicions were right, as Opal killed Erika while he was still at the feast. After that afternoon, only Opal, Miller, and the boy from Fourteen remained.**

**The next day, rising waters in the lake side of the arena and a rock slide in the mountain side of the arena forced the three tributes to the cornucopia. On his way to face Opal, Miller ran into the boy from Fourteen and killed him, sparing him from Opal's desire to win and bring glory to District 2.**

**With the boy from Fourteen dead, Opal and Miller fought it out at the cornucopia for their different goals - for glory or revenge. After a slow, drawn-out battle, Miller had disarmed and knocked Opal to the ground. Kicking her sword far away from her, Miller then beheaded Opal, getting revenge for the murder of his district partner and crowning himself the victor of the 87th Annual Hunger Games.**

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**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed :)**

**P.S. I know that updates for this story have been a little irregular, but I'm hoping to get back on track in the coming days, as my original story, '75 Games, 75 Victors, 75 Oneshots' should be complete within the next week. If you haven't read it yet, then please go and check it out. It'll be worth your time, and I'm still adding chapters to it (for now).**

**Happy reading, everyone :)**


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